Will hormone replacement therapy bring back my period?

Hi Catherine,

I’m Robin from the Michigan USA, I recently purchased your e-book and have been enjoying the wealth of information it provides. In June I begin to use Natural Progesterone (USP) my physician referred me to my local health store and I chose the pump, pre measures the dosage etc. From what I can tell it is a quality product. I follow the recommended usage for menopausal women; day 1-25 a five day break and instructions recommend using at bedtime. I alternate the application areas.

My background history: August 2003 at my annual physical I had a good pap test, good cholesterol levels, my bone scan show no osteoporosis but some spinal arthritis etc., I had not had a period since November of 2003 so we did the
routine blood tests, at a follow-up visit my Dr. told me the blood tests confirmed that I was ‘fully into the menopause’ , no surprise. In January 2004 I begin to experience black chin hairs, bone weary exhaustion, my job drained me of any excess energy, I was experiencing extreme vaginal dryness and zero sex drive, bad facial acne (I’m 51 years old). I have been tested for thyroid disorder and do not have it, I do have allergies and take 180 MG of Allegera Daily and high blood pressure is hereditary and I have taken 50MG of Tenormin. This is a beta-blocker and it had kept my blood pressure under control for the past 9 years.

In April 2004 I felt just awful and did not consider routine HRT an option for me because my Mother passed away 42 years ago as a result of cervical cancer going undetected. I begin to use the internet to research the natural recourses available to me. I read Suzanne Somers ‘The Sexy Years’ and made an appointment to see my Dr., he embraced using Natural Progesterone as the building block of my hormones and good place to start. We decided I should use it for three months and at my Aug. 2004 annual physical we would discuss how I felt. I asked my Dr. “will this bring back my period?” and he said “no” but it might provide relief to my most irritating symptoms.

July 19, 2004 I begin to spot and to my complete surprise the spotting turned into a full blown period which ended on July 28th. I passed clots, although not as many as the few periods I had during 2003. (In 2002 - Nov. 2003 I had extremely heavy and irregular periods; my pap tests were good so my Dr. concluded this was the onset of menopause).

Having a period after all this time left me more drained then ever, the acne is back with a vengeance so on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 I decided to call my Dr. office and speak to a nurse. My Dr. is on vacation but the physician’s assistance
consulted his partner; had the Natural Progesterone brought back or caused my period? As a result of discussions they have scheduled me for an “endometrial biopsy” on Aug., 17 when my Doctor is back from vacation. To my knowledge I
never suffered from endometriosis. Should I stop using the Natural Progesterone? If you have time in your busy schedule I’d love some direction.

Thanks from the heart,

Robin

Dear Robin,

I’m thrilled you enjoyed and benefited from the knowledge base contained in my ebook ‘A Woman’s Guide to Using Natural Progesterone‘. This electronic book, compiled over several years, is made available to our customers as a ’second tier’ support service designed to compliment our free website content weekly Q&A newsletters.

Now, Robin, onto the issues you raise in your letter.

Some women choose to alleviate vaginal dryness with a small dose (0.5 mg per application) of estriol cream or gel to restore normal vaginal mucosa. Cream is applied intravaginally once or twice a week, or as required . This approach can effectively eliminate problems with vaginal dryness, atrophy and painful intercourse without adverse side effects (other than possible problems with cream base). Though sometimes simply introducing progesterone can have a positive impact on vaginal and urethral tissues. I’ve also read that a vitamin E capsule inserted into the vagina (where it will naturally dissolve) can help considerably.

Black chin hairs, facial acne, and bone weary exhaustion as reported tend to suggest androgen dominance. I’m wondering what a salivary hormone profile would show up in conjunction with blood work? Specifically testing testosterone levels (total and free), DHEA, cortisol, androstenedione, melatonin, progesterone and estradiol. Depending on the outcome of these specialist pathology tests, your doctor can tailor a course of treatment around your individual needs. You might also want to consider input from a healthcare professional specializing in naturopathic medicine.

Progesterone is usually the best hormone to start with to improve your sex drive. Indeed, one of the first things women notice when they start using progesterone cream is that their libido returns almost immediately. However, a salivary assay of your testosterone levels will shed some light as to why you feel the way you do.

Progesterone can be used in conjunction with your anti-hypertensive drugs providing you do so under strict supervision of your doctor.

“Will hormone replacement therapy bring back my period?” That all depends on the dose administered. It’s the drop in estrogen that heralds menopause, not progesterone. Estrogen promotes cell growth. Estrogen controls the blood-rich lining of the uterus in the first part of the menstrual cycle. Of course a woman will continue to bleed well into old age if her GP pumps enough estrogen back into her body to equal that which she was producing when she was young, fertile and “sexy”. These high levels of estrogen must be accompanied by cyclic progesterone to trigger a monthly shedding of the uterine lining (period) in order to confer protection against endometrial cancer.

Robin, that you are experiencing a period “after all this time” suggests your estrogen levels are up. This might explain why your GP has recommended an examination (biopsy) of endometrial tissue. Adding progesterone, as mentioned above, would confer a degree of protection while these levels remain high. A bleed (expelling clots) brought on by fluctuating progesterone levels might actually help resolve the gradual thickening of the uterine lining.

We published Dr Helene Leonetti’s review of ‘The Sexy Years’ by Suzanne Somers in May of this year. I tend to agree with Dr Leonetti, “Bleeding until age 70! How sadistic can we be?”

Let me repeat what I said last week … our ‘risk’ of some cancers such as breast and endometrial cancer is determined by our overall exposure to estrogen during our lifetime. While we remain in a state of estrogen dominance, we are at risk.